This installment of our Dwellings series takes us to the historic district of Jackson Heights, Queens.

James, a theatre composer/lyricist ¬†and restaurant server, bought his Jackson Heights apartment last autumn (fun fact: he closed on it exactly one year prior to the day of our visit!). He discovered Furnish Green two¬†years ago when he found himself in need of a sofa. A year later his acquisition of this lovely apartment created furniture needs anew. ¬†As a self-professed interior design noob, James found himself turning to the interwebs for ideas and inspiration. ¬†He was drawn to one style in particular; a co-worker informed him that this style was, in fact, Mid Century Modern. While blissfully mired in the world of online¬†shopping James started to realize that a lot of the products he was drawn to were¬†from the¬†Furnish Green site… And our relationship was ignited.

Although James¬†claims to have been completely¬†unaware¬†of the Mid-Century-Modern style craze and to not have had any prior knowledge of interior design, he has quite artfully curated his Queens abode.

The apartment can be found tucked within a late 1930s building in the historic district.¬†¬†The¬†fairly open apartment¬†scheme is¬†invitingly lit¬†by a blend¬†of natural and electric light.¬†¬†Upon first entering the space, we were immediately struck¬†by the playful yet thoughtful use of color. ¬†The eye travels from floor to ceiling, captivated by the rich hues displayed in everything from his assortment of area rugs ¬†and artwork to his choice of wall color and decorative accents.

The mix of colors is complemented by the mix of styles represented, and it seems fitting that James describes the design of the space as something resembling “Mid-Century Whimsical.” There’s a¬†notable current¬†of Mid-Century-Modern, but clearly something a bit¬†more personal¬†is¬†going on here. ¬†What we have here is a mingling of ¬†styles intuitively arranged in a presentation that is so clash-free that the aesthetic borders on subtle. ¬†The overall effect on visitors is to feel intrigued by the individual pieces, while feeling welcomed by their arrangement.

The selection of pieces and styles in his home includes everything from Mid Century lighting and Art Deco side tables to Turn-of-the-Century bookcases, Victorian Eastlake dressers and French Nouveau cabinets. ¬†And then, of course, there’s the perfectly kitsch baby table lamp (a Furnish Green fave)!

One noteworthy element of¬†the decor’s whimsicality is¬†an engaging motif of animals.¬†¬†Said motif¬†welcomes you at the door (hello little metal puppy!) and charms you all the way through. ¬†In James’¬†home, our furry (and not so furry) friends come in all shapes and sizes and take all¬†forms including¬†small accent decor, a sheepskin area rug, a prancing gazelle table lamp, fantastical fox artwork, ¬†and an 18-inch tall paper mache penguin. ¬†Like all of the decor, these animal elements are casually blended into the milieu.

This Queens apartment is quirky and playful while¬†still managing to feel¬†clean and modern. ¬†We love how James has assembled lovely pieces comprising a myriad¬†of classic styles while unifying these styles¬†via¬†his whimsical and welcoming personal inflection. ¬†James continues to keep an eye on the FG¬†site for that gotta-have special item that comes about every now and again, and as you can see from the photos he’s got a knack for scoping them out. That baby table lamp was a true one-of-a-kind!

We love having the¬†chance to head¬†out to a new¬†neighborhood and to discover the homes of our customers!

We hope you enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay¬†tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!

Our latest Dwellings installment highlights a fascinating new local business that offers a cool concept within an amazing space. We sat down with proprietor Andrew Karp to get a better sense of the goings on at Interface.

Interface, located at 140 West 30th Street, opened in 2015 and began as a membership-based lounge space, but as they grew the owners realized that there was a demand for events spaces. So it morphed into what Karp describes as “a sort of events club.” In addition to being available as an events space, Interface acts as a flexible extension of its partner restaurant Till & Sprocket. It manages to be professional but casual at the same time. Interface now hosts all types of events; everything from a meditation series to musical events and film screenings.

Karp explains that Interface is constantly evolving and has a very open structure which is complimented by the space it inhabits. The primary feature of the space is a striking and spacious open room defined by exposed brick, a floor-to-ceiling chalkboard wall and large skylights that allow for some lovely and relaxing natural light.

Everything that went into furnishing the space (from light installations to custom-built work tables) was sourced locally within the neighborhood of Midtown West. So being just a block away, Furnish Green was the perfect place to find some funky pieces that would help offset the industrial nature of the space. Their choices brought warmth and coziness to the large, open main room.

Because of the diversity of Interface and the notion that it is defined by the myriad of uses taking place inside, the space needed to be able to accommodate the dynamic nature of the day-to-day operations. This was achieved by acquiring furniture that could be easily moved around and rearranged. They purchased large rustic shipping crates that are multifunctional and portable. These are spread throughout the space and have been deployed as coffee tables and shelving units and have even been used as lecture podiums.

From FG, they acquired 6 upholstered club chairs that once served as seating on a yacht. They’re bright and punchy (and really comfortable) bringing a bit of fun and quirkiness to the space. Andrew’s favorite FG piece happens to be club chair with the beach-themed upholstery. Personally, we love the big Al Pacino portrait that resides in the restroom, but to each his own.

The layout of the room changes daily, keeping it lively, fresh and interesting for their guests. Just like we do at FG, Interface gets the opportunity to see how their patrons react to moving things around, changing up the layout and altering the energy of the space. Interface is worth checking out; a unique concept housed in an adeptly conceived space.

We hope you enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!

For the latest installment of our Dwellings series, we head to MaLa Project NYC, a new restaurant in the East Village (122 1st Ave. to be exact) that is serving up some very tasty Chinese cuisine. Although a restaurant is not a dwelling per se, there’s certainly a benefit to making your patrons feel at home. And Amelie has done just that. For the task of decorating the MaLa space, she knew that she wanted to utilize mostly vintage pieces but did not have the time to go digging around a warehouse for that diamond in the rough… And that’s where Furnish Green comes into the picture.

Amelie found us just in time for our annual Small Business Saturday Sale and snatched up a bunch of great items for her own small business. And while we appreciate the support shown to us by all of our customers during this particular sale, we’re very happy to have been able to help out a fellow small business and give Amelie the opportunity to make some of her restaurant design goals a reality.

In constructing MaLa’s interior aesthetic, she has taken a raw industrial space and transitioned it into a warm and inviting atmosphere that’s ideal for social dining. Amelie’s selection of alluringly eye-catching accent pieces feels very much at home against the rustic feel of the exposed brick walls. The space is open, clean and somewhat minimalist while managing to feel cozy and quaint at the same time.

FG Pieces: She utilized one of our long narrow farm tables for communal dining and large parties. And a vintage dry sink became the perfect waiter station. A set of vintage china is the flatware at the bar, and a retro rattan tray has been used for spice display.

In her design of the space, Amelie has successfully wed stark urban industrialism with charmingly inviting details.¬†The starkness of some industrial elements like the shiny metal ceiling is nicely contrasted by the warmth of the brick walls and the abundance of green leafy plants. MaLa Project features some distinctive and arresting design that includes some choice Furnish Green pieces as well as an intriguing menu.

We hope you enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!

One of our favorite things about the Dwellings Series is that it gives us the opportunity to put a home to the names and faces we’ve come to know so well. Irene and her husband Lars are long-time Furnish Green regulars and refreshingly lovely people. Their bright and colorful apartment is everything we hoped¬†and imagined¬†this couple’s dwelling to be.

After shopping with us for about 5 years, much of our furniture has found¬†a place in their 2 homes, while they have managed to find a place in our hearts.¬†Originally from New Zealand, Irene and Lars¬†have been purchasing for both their Long Island City apartment and for their weekend home upstate.

We payed a visit to the LIC apartment and had the pleasure of¬†experiencing their well-decorated home alongside their amazing view of Manhattan. LIC, being¬†the first 7 train stop in Queens, has a bit more of that “neighborhoody” vibe and¬†allows you to be extremely close to the city without being completely confined by the walls of the Concrete Jungle.

In the apartment, their black cat, Master (named for the Mikhail Bulgakov¬†novel The Master and Margarita), ¬†is a direct foil to their vibrant and¬†punchy design style. Bright colors, clean white and shiny chrome mark the theme of the space, which Irene describes as late 60s sputnik.

As Irene explains, the decorating style of a space should be informed by the aesthetics of the space itself¬†‚ÄĒ¬†which is apparent when noticing the seamless blending of architecture with furnishings found in their home.

Irene became obsessed with vintage American glassware when she moved to the US, and began collecting.

The design is also largely inspired by the couple’s first major furniture purchase in the States, a round white and chrome kitchen table with 4 yellow¬†vinyl rolling¬†dining chairs. They stored the set for awhile, and after finding an at least semi-permanent residence¬†it came out of storage to become a central fixture in¬†their new¬†home.

Broyhill Brasilia Mid Century Credenza from FG

Their chosen light fixtures really shape the design of the apartment.¬†Lots of chrome with white glass globes, and a focal Sputnik chandelier from Argentina that hangs above the kitchen table. Once a fixture in a bar, it was originally covered in a stubborn layer of nicotine and took some serious elbow grease to get it shining again. But boy, it’s a looker now!

This shiny¬†metallic element¬†carries you¬†through their home, and is complemented by the warm reflections of their rich color scheme.¬†The sculptural metal art pieces, like the very large Mid Century Curtis Jere piece (actually 2 separate wall hangings; featured above), reflect light and give the space a unique texture and 3-dimensionality.

The plenitude of color¬†and green leafy plants combined with the abundance of natural light, makes the couple’s apartment feel like a sort of city oasis. Accompanied by the warm welcome and the utmost hospitality, we could have just stayed all day!

The lovely outdoor patio space at their LIC apartment.

Some photos from the couple’s home upstate; they’ve got a unique mix of Furnish Green items spread throughout the space .

We hope you enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay¬†tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!

My name is Marielle, and while you may know me as¬†a Furnish Green employee, I’m a Furnish Green regular customer as well, which is probably to be expected… I’ve always loved vintage furniture. Growing up with my mom, who is an avid garage-saler and thrift store shopper, made¬†me¬†feel right at home at¬†Furnish Green from the beginning.

I’ve lived in Midtown East Manhattan for about 3 years in a neighborhood known as Turtle Bay, and after working at FG for 2 years, I’ve acquired a good bit of stuff.¬†My apartment¬†is small, but the ceilings are high and it’s on the fifth floor of a walk-up building so it’s a pretty pleasant bright space.

As far as my design style goes, I definitely have a tendency toward¬†the feminine and ornate with a serious¬†focus¬†on (possible obsession with)¬†flowers… alive, dried, painted… you get the point.

Lampshade turned jewelry display and organization.

It’s a girly space, but I like to think that I haven’t gone overboard. I’ve recently started incorporating a bit of brass to offset the wood and upholstered pieces, particularly in my living room, i.e. the bold brass and glass coffee table and the compact and convenient brass record rack.

Since working at Furnish Green and getting a chance to see all of the furniture styles that are out there, I’ve become¬†more selective about what I like and what works in my home. There are definitely some pieces that I’m looking to replace, but it’s nice to be able to wait it out and find just the right fit.

I hope you enjoyed getting a brief glimpse into my home!¬†Stay¬†tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!

For this Dwellings post, we delve into the center of New York City. Adam, a local bartender, has been shopping with Furnish Green for about a year and currently resides in Midtown Manhattan. It’s an extremely industrial area, so you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find an apartment with so much character. The space has original hardwood floors and crown molding and features a beautifully ornate fireplace mantel… So meet Adam, and enjoy the space!

I was looking at a studio in Chelsea that advertised a wood burning fireplace, so obviously I went to check it out. To my excited surprise it actually worked. The rest of the place was a shit hole but it definitely gave me the idea. Anyway, I had some time to really look around before my lease was up so I decided, at least for a while, to ONLY look for places with wood burning fireplaces. This drew some strange reactions from a lot of realtors. I remember being in one guy’s office and he was just screwing me around, telling me what I wanted to hear and being full of shit. I yelled “Listen buddy, I don’t want to look at anything that doesn’t have a god dammed wood burning fireplace in it!” Then a sort of hush fell over the whole office and everyone just stared at us in, I guess, disbelief. You could hear a pin drop! It was absolutely ridiculous. An absurd demand. Somewhat out of character for me, but I was so frustrated with this guy. It just all came out.

Do you have a design style that you’re going for?

Not particularly. Everything basically revolved around the fireplace. Dark and cozy I suppose. My roommate, Brian and I both work crazy late hours, so when either of us gets home it’s usually already light out. It’s nice to pull down the blinds and relax a little without feeling too abnormal. Also, there’s something comforting about sitting in front of a crackling fire on a freezing January morning, delighting in the knowledge that the moron that puked in the corner of the bar last night is beginning their day with a top-five-hangovers-of-all-time and is about to get a good ass-chewing by their boss for being late and looking like such shit. So, I dunno, is schadenfreude a design style? Urban-Neoclassical then. Haha, I’ve no idea.

FG Klein Bros. Cedar Chest

Adam’s trash pick chair.

You seem inclined to shop for vintage furniture, is there any reason why? Or is it just a preference?

I’m attracted to things with character, I guess. I think everybody is. Something with some history to it, y’know? I used to get a lot of furniture from the trash. That swivel chair is one of my favorite trash picks. I found two broken ones outside a bar on 46th street years ago, and after a long time of hoarding two broken chairs, I abandoned my intent to fix them both and just sort of made one out of the working parts of both.

Adam turned these FG rustic industrial drawers into great display shelves! And they pair perfectly with this FG distressed black and gold mirror.

Do you have a favorite Furnish Green piece?

Probably the corner bookcase that we use as a bar. I think, deep down, it always wanted to be a bar. I’m happy to facilitate that. Or maybe the spittoon! I can’t wait to put a big cactus in that thing.

Another rustic FG cedar chest and vintage brass spittoon.

How did you decide on your wall colors?¬†

I thought a dark, rich blue would bring out the fireplace. Also, the apartment is pretty big and the walls are high so I knew it could take a dark color. Well, that, and my occupational disdain for the morning sun.

What’s the story behind the big canvas with the holes?

That is the work of a mischievous little Cocker Spaniel I once had, named Winston. I had acquired the frame from a bar that I was working at downtown, and bought the canvas to wrap around it. I had also taken a photograph from the hudson river of the water towers on the tops of the buildings of the UWS, it was during one of those late, low autumn sunsets that makes the brownstones glow red. My plan was to somehow superimpose this photo onto the bottom of the canvas, and this artist friend of mine was going to paint a big sky above it. It was going to be a sort of landscape in a portrait format. Anyway, I had the canvas rolled up and taped, propped up in a corner of my old studio apartment. I got home one day and Winston, who had evidently been gnawing on the same spot for a while, greeted me with a wagging tail and no apparent remorse or recollection of the incident. Bastard. So when I unravelled it, the holes appeared in this cool, ascending line. I kept it because I think it’s awesome! And it reminds me of a good dog. I taped a small scrap of red paper to the back of one of the holes to give it some of myself, but it’s Winston’s piece.

Grilled cheese makers featured in bottom right corner!

Where did you get the fireplace grilled cheese makers? And what’s your favorite grilled cheese combo?

Those things are amazing. You get a good fire going, heat up these cast iron beauties, butter them like you’ve only got a week to live and then basically put a sandwich in them, clasp them shut and shove them back into the coals. We’ve had some good combinations lately, but I think the notion of a gourmet grilled cheese is somehow amoral. Like putting clothes on a cat. People should stop doing that. Keep the fig jam and chevre D’or in the fridge. Give me white bread, a slice of cheddar and a slice of white american, cook it, then put me to bed.

Is there anything (furniture or home decor) you’re really looking to add to your apartment?

We do need a better storage solution for our records. I was thinking about trying to find some reclaimed wood and building something. I have a few bev-naps with some crude sketches…

Do you have any general comments about your experience with Furnish Green?

I have only great things to say about the place. A patchwork of treasures and novelties, nestled among some really beautiful pieces of genuinely livable furniture. My only criticism is that I wasn’t able to find it sooner.

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So there you have it! This unique space exhibits the charm that exists in Midtown amid the overwhelming amount of industry and tourism. Adam has managed to create a humble home that really makes you want to just close the blinds and get cozy in front of a fire (grilled cheese not optional).

We hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay¬†tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!

As we continue to meander through the dwellings of our customers, we take you into the home of a couple of graphic designers currently residing in Jersey City. In August, Justin and Amanda moved from one neighborhood of Jersey City to a downtown location with a bit more charm. With charm, of course, comes smaller living quarters, forcing the couple to cut their possessions in half and learn how to optimize every inch of their new apartment. They were able to maintain their same style of design while purchasing pieces that were practical and served a very strategic purpose.

As artists, their home naturally reflects their tendency toward visual thinking. It is a well curated and “graphically designed” space. ¬†From minutiae like well-thought-out lines and angles everywhere to color-coordinated books on a shelf and adorable knick knacks displayed in a rustic type drawer, it is clear that they both have¬†a keen eye for detail.

For the couple, vintage furniture seems to be the natural choice in decorating their home. Both grew up¬†surrounded by antiques and vintage and a familial affinity for old-world style. They share a common goal in acquiring items that have a history or prior life, and much of their decor has been handed down to them.

Justin and Amanda have been shopping with us for a year and a half now, and they have acquired a good mix of items that happen to mesh very well with their other vintage inspired home decor. Their space has a charming combination of colors and rustic making it feel fun and playful while maintaining a comfortable warmth. The presence of green leafy plants in every room makes the apartment feel lush and full of life. Amanda explains that, after growing up in South Jersey, she seems to just “want green stuff,” and you have to give her credit for managing to keep them all alive. ¬†

Furnish Green has enabled them to populate their home with thoughtful pieces while helping them overcome the initial intimidation of¬†working with a small space. We’re fully aware of how many of our customers are in need of space-saving (yet stylish) furniture. The FG team is happy to have been able to help the couple get comfortable in, and possibly even prefer, a small apartment.

¬† ¬† ¬† ¬† ¬† ¬† ¬† They’ve very effectively utilized rustic FG crates for storage and as a great make-shift shelving and media unit.¬†We hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!

For our most exciting Dwellings excursion yet, we take you to Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. We stepped off the subway, turned the corner onto Stuyvesant Avenue and, as strangers to this part of BK, were surprised to find rows of beautiful brownstones! Our hosts explained to us that Bed-Stuy claims the highest concentration of pre-war brownstones in all of NYC. And the home of Byron and Bee definitely does this neighborhood justice.

Bed-Stuy is a historic Brooklyn neighborhood, and their house represents a unique history of its own.¬†Built in 1891, it was first owned by a German family with the last name Fuehrer; they later changed their name to “something like Fulton” for obvious reasons. The second owners lived there from 1930-1997 at which point, the house was purchased by an artist and used primarily as a photography space. During¬†Byron and Bee’s first viewing of the house, the place was overrun by half-naked male models and kittens; probably a selling point.

The house became theirs. Byron and Bee moved to Brooklyn, after spending 10 years in London where Bee worked as a writer and Byron as a research professor at the University College London.¬†While they describe their London flat as much more modern, they wanted the items that would inhabit their new home to match the Victorian style of the space. There are original ornate details everywhere, including 5 fireplaces, original windows and accordion style shutters, narrow dark wood staircases, large door frames,¬†beautiful floor-to-ceiling crown molding, hardwood flooring that is unique in each room and Lincrusta-covered walls‚ÄĒa beautiful textured paintable wall-covering that was very popular during the Victorian era.

Entering the four-floor brownstone is truly like stepping back in time. Byron and Bee, eager to maintain this time warp, are changing as little as possible of the home’s construction, while of course bringing things up to code, as demanded by the city.

The bust of John Abernathy Kingdom (right), Master of Grocers from 1889‚Äď1941. The Grocer’s Guild of the City of London was established in the 1300s for maintaining standards for the purity of spices and for setting certain weights and measures. Byron and Bee obtained this bust after the Grocer’s hall was almost completely destroyed by a fire.The living room. The trunk featured above is the trunk that Bee’s great grandmother used when illegally entering the country from Finland. As a result, the family does not know their true last name, but at least they have the trunk.

Every room has its own unique identity, but there are a few that really stand out. Walk into the main bathroom of the house, and instantly feel like an entire day could be spent there. With the soft blue light, giant claw foot tub, and darling wall tiles with pastel floral details, it is simply lovely. Although Byron and Bee would have loved to keep the original bright blue (and probably lead-filled) paint on the walls, a good deal of work had to be done to this room to prevent a variety of code violations. Despite the changes, it’s a truly romantic space.¬†

Head downstairs to the kitchen where¬†large windows face out to the backyard; the previous owner planted a perennial garden, making the room well-lit and serene.¬†A bright red 1950s Chambers stove, restored to good working order by “Carlita the Stove Lady,”¬†grabs your immediate attention.¬†The couple’s favorite Furnish Green piece, a Hoosier kitchen cupboard from the turn of the century, also resides here. Made of oak wood, it has plentiful cabinet space and a built-in flour sifter, complementing the space and its vintage kitchen companions.

Byron and Bee certainly are educated home-owners, with a great knowledge of their home, the neighborhood and its inhabitants. They also provided a wealth of interesting asides to keep us enthralled for the entirety of our visit. It’s an amazing space so take a look at what’s going on in the rest of the house!

The master bedroom with FG chair and nightstand.Guest room with petite school desk and chair.Bee’s office with FG chair.¬†Byron’s office with FG chair and Venetian screen.Dining room with FG dining chairs and industrial floor fan.¬†We hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!¬†

As Winter sets in, and the city starts to freeze over, we take you down to Georgia for our latest Dwellings installment. Richards has been a Furnish Green regular for about 2 years now, and he has acquired an eclectic bunch of items for his¬†permanent residence in New York as well as for¬†his charming rental home in Savannah, known as the Jingle Bells Square House. He currently resides in Nyack, New York and has always got his eye on the Furnish Green site. Richards provided a brief account of his experience with Furnish Green:

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My wife and I have bought regularly and frequently from Furnish Green‚Äôs always¬†interesting supply of carefully chosen objects and furniture. The pieces that we have¬†acquired over several years appear in most of the rooms in our home.

We have a house in Savannah, GA that we have restored and furnished as a short-term¬†vacation rental. We will stay there ourselves for some of the colder northeast winter. It is¬†important to us that the house furnishings are eclectic and comfortable (like Savannah) –¬†and that the overall result also be striking and unusual – a mixture of new and old.

The Living Room has a very comfortable sofa that becomes a fold-out queen size sofa-bed. We had it made in North Carolina by Rowe Furniture, with an ‚ÄúAir Dream‚ÄĚ mattress – one¬†that you would actually be happy sleeping on. We knew that there needed to be surfaces in¬†proximity to the sofa and two upholstered chairs for drinks, magazines, etc. Since¬†whatever we got would have to be moved around to use the sofa-bed a conventional coffee¬†table didn‚Äôt seem like a good idea. Instead, we collected several interesting small tables¬†from Furnish Green and put them in a group. They can be moved around individually as¬†needed, or returned to their ‚Äúcommunity‚ÄĚ.

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Richards has effectively utilized FG’s stock of petite tables and unique accent pieces. His home features assorted decorative items such as a board of mounted knots, a pair of cranes made from bone, some rustic baskets, a pair of ice skates, and various light fixtures and mirrors. Purchasing almost exclusively from our website, we at Furnish Green are always eager to see what quirky knick knack Richards will purchase next. You can view more photos and gather information about renting the Jingle Bells Square House here.

We hope you enjoyed this Dwellings trip down to Savannah, Georgia!¬†Stay tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com if you‚Äôd like us to feature your space!

For our freshest Dwellings issue, we take you to yet another new neighborhood with yet another stylin’ apartment. Nikolai resides in the West Village where the buildings are a bit lower, and a sense of history permeates the narrow meandering streets… The perfect place for a Fall FG Dwellings trip in our opinion.

The building, located in the historical West Village, has plenty of history itself, as it was constructed circa 1845.¬†Walk up the four flights to find the apartment, a compact space with original crown molding and about a hundred antique locks on the front door.

Nikolai relocated from California and bounced around ¬†the many neighborhoods of Manhattan. Knowing that he had always wanted to end up in the West Village, Nikolai was pleased to move into his current apartment 3 years ago. He found Furnish Green on Yelp around the same time, giving him the opportunity to make the place his own. The apartment consists of a bedroom, kitchen, living room/office space and a bathroom.¬†When working with a smaller space, it’s important to optimize your dimensions, and Nikolai has definitely achieved that, effectively utilizing the walls and vertical space.

Having an affinity for older styles and vintage furniture, Furnish Green was the perfect stop for him. The kitchen contains a couple of FG cabinets and a rustic kitchen table with iron base that works perfectly in the small space. His favorite purchase though (and ours) is a beautiful ornate shabby white desk with a unique double pedestal/trestle base that features a carved wood harp detail in the center. A real looker.

Some other vintage accents in the apartment are a couple of sturdy rustic folding chairs in the kitchen that once belonged to an armory and a great trunk from the 1930s that functions as his coffee table. (Cool tidbit: He actually picked up this trunk from the set of “Kill Your Darlings” when he worked as an assistant to the director, and the trunk may¬†have been bled on by Michael C. Hall after a minor accident on set involving a broken wine glass).

Nikolai describes his design style as “shabby chic” with a mostly black, white and brown color palette. He explains that, being from Woodside, California, he has a strong inclination to incorporate some “woodsy” vibes into the space, and it shows. He has plenty of raw wood, an “in the woods” sort of drapery covering his bedroom wall and an attention-grabbing¬†petrified wood tree stump side table.

As a filmmaker in New York City, Nikolai clearly pays attention to detail not only in the design of his apartment, but in his career as well. He has been writing and directing since he was 16 years old, and his first feature length film, “Before,” came out this year! His second will be coming out next year, so stay tuned. You can take a look at his work here.

some of Nikolia’s polaroid shots

vintage camera collection

As always, it’s nice to get a chance to learn a bit more about our customers and to see how our pieces have gotten acclimated to their new homes; it’s like visiting old friends.

Here are some more photos of the space. Enjoy.

some wall-mounted moose and deer, hand made by Nikolai

We hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay tuned for future posts, and let us know if you‚Äôd like us to feature your space!

If you are visiting our shop by car, the closest parking lot is Central Park on the SW corner of Broadway & 31st St.

About Us

Furnish Green is Manhattan‚Äôs local vintage furniture store. We hunt for unique vintage and antique pieces and bring 5-15 items into our showroom in New York City every weekday. Our philosophy is to provide creative local consumers with unique, well-made, long-lasting and reasonably priced pieces of furniture so that they can design their own spaces in a meaningful way.